When to Say No to MMR Vaccination

Editor's note: this is an updated version of the original article which appeared in March 2015, shortly after the outbreak of measles traced to a Disney them park in Orange County, CA.

The old adage that “every cloud has a silver lining” certainly applies to the current United States measles outbreak. The dangers of the antivaccine movement have been printed on front pages across the country and raised new awareness of the importance of herd immunity. While no measles cases have been reported in North Carolina where I practice, I get questions from parents almost daily about whether their children are protected against measles or whether they can get their MMR vaccination early? Having had to cajole and plead with some parents to vaccinate their children against measles for so long, it is a refreshing change to have parents demand the vaccine for their child.

Sometimes, however, the health care provider has to “just say no.”

There are 2 broad reasons that preclude the use of live vaccines. First, the live vaccine may prove a risk to the individual receiving the vaccine. The second is that the vaccine may not result in protection against the disease it targets.  

Looking at the first reason to withhold live vaccine, in which of the following scenarios does the administration of the measles vaccine pose a risk to the recipient? 

Please click on the links below for the next installments of thhe Patient Care Pediatric Vaccines Special Report:

"How to Pump up the Volume on Gardasil" and "Gardasil vs Meningococcal Vaccine: A Lesson for Anxious Parents"